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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the striker that all Arsenal fans have been hoping for, then possibly they will reflect on this night as the moment his destiny shifted. According to the classic forward’s saying, it makes no difference how they go in.

After a run of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and expectations rising on the man signed for £64m in the close season, a huge wave of relief swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from point-blank via a ricochet off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side proved yet again that they mean business this season.

Remarkable Shift in Luck

Shortly after and to the delight of the stadium crowd, his face-covering routine borrowed from the character Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “attention came only with the disguise,” was repeated once more after forcing home from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to seal the victory against Atlético Madrid. On the sidelines, Arteta raised his fists and gestured animatedly in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the finest displays lay ahead.

“This is football, and we can’t expect a player to switch environments and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Situations are not the same. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their state of mind to be at its peak. I told Viktor in our first meeting that the center forward I desired at Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. Failing that, you’re not cut out at this tier. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Early Challenges

Back in his early teens playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are based in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to build resilience to succeed in his vocation. Criticised after a subpar outing by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to succeed in top-level football, he ultimately switched from a flank attacker into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I still remember it today,” he said recently.

Challenging Spell

Having failed to score since the triumph over Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his career. Gyökeres was widely panned after Sweden were defeated by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the previous 14 days, with one newspaper describing his performance against the latter as “absent.”

He managed an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the issue is clearly not his finishing. As the manager has often noted, his overall contribution has added a new layer in attack, even if the openings have not fallen his way.

Game Analysis

This was clearly apparent during the opening period of this elite matchup between two teams that had at first appeared well-balanced. There was a sense that Gyökeres was pressing too much to make an impact as he charged around like a disruptive presence during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was originated from some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his marker, José María Giménez.

The defender has the air of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is vastly experienced at this standard compared with Gyökeres, who is playing in only his second Champions League campaign after scoring a hat-trick for Sporting against Manchester City last season that must have gone a long way to convincing Arteta to secure the signing.

Relentless Effort

Yet having faced scrutiny that he was out of shape after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s much more svelte-looking striker harried all opponents as if his life depended on it. Giménez was drawn into conceding a yellow card when Gyökeres collided with him on the edge of the Atlético area having simply held his position. Gabriel Martinelli saw his effort disallowed for offside after finishing Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an hesitant shot towards goal. At that stage it must have felt like the first score would never come. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the man in the mask announced his presence. “Hopefully this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.